Lost in the Valley of Whedon
by brontefanatic
Summary: Set post-"Tears", AU before the end of "Extinction". On the way to Aydindril, Team Seeker find themselves stranded, Zedd and Kahlan can't use their magic, Richard sulks, Darken is provoking. Cara is the only one making sense, but nobody's listening.
1. Going in Circles

**A/N: This little story was inspired by "Something Blue" - one of my favorite episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Also in writing this I drew on many discussions we've had at Peoplespalace, as well as gaining inspiration from "Truth for Truth" by hrhrionastar and "Discord" by meridian_rose.**

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><p><strong>Going in Circles<strong>

"Wizard, we have crossed this same stream five times in the last two weeks . Everything's the same – the rocks, the trees, the trail," Cara huffed with impatience. "We are walking in circles."

"I know it looks that way, dear one. But we'll be fine as long as we keep following the map." Zedd's placid smile was maddening, as was the endearment. When had he started calling her that, anyway?

It set her teeth on edge.

Everything was setting her teeth on edge recently. Cara didn't know what was wrong, but she was feeling distinctly out of sorts.

Not herself at all.

"Let's move on, then," she ordered. "Maybe today I'll finally get us out of this cursed place."

Richard glanced over at her, brow furrowed with concern. "I wouldn't call this place cursed, Cara. It's quite lovely. Are you feeling all right? You seem a little – edgy."

Edgy?

That was an understatement.

The Seeker of Truth had once been an accomplished woods guide. He should have been as worried as she was about their lack of progress over the past fourteen days, yet instead appeared cheerfully oblivious to the fact that they were lost.

Fuming inwardly at the nonchalance of her companions, Cara reached for the smooth stone she had pocketed on their first day in the valley. The jewel had been lying in the riverbed, half-buried in the muck, when its gleam had caught her attention as she was kneeling to drink. Curious, and strangely drawn to the object, the Mord'Sith had pried it loose, noting the tiny symbols engraved into its surface. The object must have been worn once as an ornament, but the chain being rusty and broken, she tossed it aside.

Thinking that she would have Zedd examine it later, Cara had slipped the relic into the pocket of her leathers, and there it had remained. Every day she intended to bring the jewel to the wizard's attention, and every day she forgot. The more frequently she touched it, fondled it, the more reluctant she was to show it to any of the others.

She had found something that was completely hers, and for once, Cara didn't want to share.

**oOo**

As the day wore on, Cara kept recognizing landmarks they had passed days earlier and bringing them to Richard's attentions, fuming inwardly at his continued unconcern.

They wouldn't be in this predicament if Zedd hadn't been so taken in by that worthless map.

After the Keeper had been defeated, the wizard had obtained what his brother Thaddicus had assured him was a magical map, concocted for Zedd by his brother's underhanded cohort, Sebastion. Both men had promised that the scroll would guide them along the shortest route to their next destination. "It's a secret path – hidden by magic - through the Valley of Whedon," Zedd had crowed, so proud of his coup. "We'll have to keep our wits about us, but following it will save us days of travel."

Cara marveled at the Wizard's naïve trust in two men who had deceived him before, but arguing had proved to be a wasted effort.

Their company had descended into the blasted Valley of Whedon fourteen days past, and had been wandering aimlessly ever since. Each day after making camp, Zedd would study the map and declare that he knew where they had lost the way, promising that the morrow's trek would take them in the right direction. Richard and Kahlan would nod their heads in earnest agreement, Darken would sneer and Cara would roll her eyes. The next day, history would always repeat itself.

From this point on, Cara had decided, she would follow her instincts and ignore the damn map. The entire journey had been a mistake from the very beginning, but her warnings had gone unheeded by all but Darken, and , as it was known that he must have his own nefarious agenda, his opinions were generally disregarded as a matter of course.

After defeating the Keeper at the Pillars of Creation they had all been giddy with relief and triumph. In those first heady days of victory Cara had urged Richard to assert his leadership over D'Hara at the earliest opportunity. To her dismay, he refused to accept the title of Lord Rahl, insisting instead that they journey to Aydindril in order for Kahlan to assume her duties as the Mother Confessor. Zedd hadn't put up much of an argument, saying that it would be nice to visit the Wizard's Keep again.

So the Merry Band had set out for the Confessor's Palace, leaving D'Hara to fend for itself, but not daring to leave its previous ruler and resurrected servant of the Keeper behind to stir up trouble. After everything they had accomplished, admittedly with his assistance, it would have been folly to leave Darken Rahl in a position to attempt to use his meager remnant of loyal Mord'Sith to regain the throne.

Both Kahlan and Zedd had argued that Darken should be put to death, not only for his past crimes, but for the possible threat he could pose in the future, but Richard had been adamant. "He **did** help us, he fought beside us and he **is **my brother," the Seeker argued. "Darken might have acted out of selfish motives, but his actions still worked toward the greater good."

Nobody had asked Cara's opinion about the matter, and she wasn't entirely sure of how she would have responded. Loyalty and affection bound her to Richard and she accepted his decision, but was afraid Darken would be nothing but trouble. She thought it unwise to expect a man who had once wielded absolute power to be content to bend his knee to the Seeker – the younger brother who had been dogging his life for years.

Cara wished she could just hate Darken and be done with it. Instead, her feelings remained tangled and confused. She had once served him as loyally as she now served Richard. During those years the line between compulsion and attraction, pain and desire, had become hopelessly blurred. She had risen to pre-eminence among the Sisters of the Agiel under Darken's tutelage, had gained his confidence and trust, and borne him a son, a secret she still dared not share with her friends, and one she dreaded he would spill at the worst possible moment.

Ever since he had first joined them, in the devastated forest of the nightwisps, Darken had helped with the daily chores with a minimum of grumbling, had proved to be ferocious fighter, and, unfortunately, a constant thorn in everybody's side, fanning the flames of any disagreement, continually tossing around observations or tidbits of information in blatant attempts to set the friends at odds with each other. His riskiest jibes were always directed toward the Mother Confessor. Verbal fireworks and threats of bodily harm would inevitably ensue, with Cara acting as mediator, a position Kahlan abdicated where Darken was concerned. The Confessor freely admitted that her undying hatred for the man rendered her unable to be impartial.

Richard, Kahlan, and, to some extent, Zedd, seemed unable to follow Cara's advice when it came to Darken. When would they ever learn to ignore him rather than rising to the bait?

Advice that was easier for the Mord'Sith to provide than to follow.

At first she had wondered if Darken incessantly prodded his companions out of some devious scheme to regain power, then finally decided that he acted out of boredom and frustration. A man humiliated and defeated, Darken was so alone amidst their camaraderie that Cara occasionally felt a reluctant kinship with him. She, like the former Lord Rahl, would always be, at least to some extent, an outsider. Richard and Kahlan had each other, while Zedd looked on the couple as his surrogate children, reinforced by the fact that Richard was, in fact, his grandson.

While he enjoyed provoking Cara as much as he did the others, Darken would sometimes try to find common ground with her. Those were the moments she tried to avoid. The moments when Richard would be waxing eloquent about the injustice in the world and Darken would manage to catch Cara's eye with a wry smile. The moments when his lips would curve in a knowing smirk when Richard and Kahlan disappeared into the forest "to gather firewood" only to return later flushed, disheveled and empty handed.

Worst of all were the moments when Cara felt his burning stare scorching the back of her neck, when she could almost hear the silent question hanging in the air between them.

**Why?**

Why, after so many years of devotion, had she betrayed and destroyed him?

There were other times when, standing watch as the others slept, sensing Darken's gaze on her, Cara longed to ask her own questions.

_What happened to my son – our son? Did he survive the war? Where is he? Will I ever see him? Did you ever tell him about me?_

But the question she most wanted to ask was the one Darken would never be able to answer. The question that had haunted her since the day she and Richard had witnessed the future devastation wreaked by Darken and Kahlan's Confessor son.

_Why did you choose her son over mine?_

**oOo**

The duty of keeping Darken on a short leash had fallen to Cara out of an unspoken assumption that she was the best person for the task. Nobody had inquired if the task would be painful for her, and she would have denied it if they had.

But still – someone should have asked.

Every day wasted roaming through the Valley of Whedon, rudderless and without direction, she brooded on her grievances.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to contain her resentment at having her opinions about subjects not involving hunting, tracking or fighting routinely discounted. They all took her for granted. She was just Cara – fearless, reliable and ruthless, always ready to sacrifice her own life so that everybody else could be safe, fed and happy.

Every night the Mord'Sith stood guard over the wizard's sleep while Richard and Kahlan wandered off to consummate their epic love, forced to listen to their cries of passion while enduring the mocking presence of the man who had once desired her.

Cara tried to regain perspective. Richard, Kahlan and Zedd had given her so much, but over the past few days of trudging without direction, their growing childishness had begun to grate on her last nerve. They were always pulling at her, dragging on her, needing her – but they never listened to her about anything that mattered.

Would that ever change? And what was to be her new role once they arrived at Aydindril? Was she destined to always be an onlooker at the lives of others?

Absently she reached into her pocket and curled her fingers around the amulet. She liked the way it fit into the palm of her hand, as if it belonged there.

Preoccupied with the thanklessness of her companions, Cara plowed ahead through the forest, unmindful that she was leaving the others far behind.

"Cara – slow down. We can't keep up. Zedd needs to rest and eat." It was Richard, his voiced muffled by the heavy foliage.

Of course, when did the Wizard not have to stuff his face?

Ashamed of herself, Cara slowed her pace. She had to stop this pointless fretting.

Self-pity was contemptible.

This valley was affecting them all in some strange way, making her jumpy and irritable, while lulling her companions into a state of dreamy contentment. All except Darken, who had been quiet and morose over the past few days.

"Cara, wait up for us. " Richard's tone held a plaintive note as he struggled toward her through the underbrush with Kahlan and Zedd in tow. "Why were you walking so fast?"

Darken had already reached Cara's side, remaining uncharacteristically silent as the rest of their band straggled into the clearing. She couldn't help but notice the grim set of his jaw. Something was gnawing at him, too, but she was in no mood to listen to his complaints.

"We make camp here tonight," she said without preamble, throwing her pack to the ground. "Doesn't the glade look familiar? It should. We've spent the night here at least twice during the past week." She gestured over at the grey ashes left from a previous fire. Darken quirked an eyebrow in bemusement, but still said nothing. The rest of the group acted as if they hadn't heard.

"Zedd, do you think it's really urgent that we get to Aydindril? This valley is so beautiful. I don't see anything wrong with taking our time." Kahlan's voice was languid with promise as she gazed at Richard, who beamed back at her like a moon-struck calf. "The Confessor's Palace has stood for thousands of years, it will still be there no matter when we arrive."

"Kahlan's right," Richard chimed in, plopping down on the grass. "We deserve a little rest and relaxation. Cara is being such a slave driver." He reached up and plucked a ripe peach from an overhanging bough and bit into it, the juice running down his chin. "I don't care if we are walking in circles. This valley is a paradise - plenty of fresh water, trees practically dripping with fruit and forests teeming with game." He closed his eyes, his lips curving in a blissful smile. "Kahlan, wouldn't this be a wonderful place to raise a family? Why don't we just forget about Aydindril and build us a little cottage right here?"

"Oh, Richard," Kahlan chided with a soft laugh, surveying the clearing with a wistful expression, "you know we can't linger here forever. It is so lovely, though." She sank down next to him with a grateful sigh. "It would be nice to have a little time to ourselves."

Zedd had settled himself under a tree on the far side of the clearing, his hands already stained dark from the blackberries he was popping into his mouth. "That's a tempting idea, my boy. I haven't felt this spry in years. I'm sure I would have regained my youth by now If Mistress Cara didn't drive us on so relentlessly." His eyes glinted with wry humor as he looked over at the Mord'Sith.

"Zedd, help me convince Kahlan that we should stay here." Richard urged his grandfather. "We've saved the world. Isn't that enough? It's only fair that others take up the burden now. We've done our part."

Cara had heard enough. "You've already forsaken D'Hara, **Lord Rahl**." She noticed Darken's scowl at the use of his old title. "Do you plan on abandoning Aydindril and the Midlands, too?"

"That's not fair, Cara." Kahlan rushed to her lover's defense. "Dennee has been acting in my stead at the Confessor's Palace, and I'm certain that she would prefer that I not interfere. The more I consider it, the more I think my sister is better suited for the position than I am." Kahlan curled up against Richard's side, her head tucked beneath his chin, unmindful of the sticky peach juice matting her dark tresses.

Cara glared at the three of them, furious at how casually they shed their responsibilities. "Doesn't it seem strange to any of you we haven't seen any sign of human habitation since we entered this valley? The only ashes we find are our own from our previous camps. There are no worn paths, no broken arrow shafts, no cracked pottery – nothing. It's as if we are the first people to journey here."

Three pairs of eyes stared back at her in bewilderment.

"Why is that a problem? No soldiers, no needy people always begging for our help – it's perfect. I would think that even a Mord'Sith would be grateful to have an occasional break from slaughter." Richard's kind smile couldn't take the sting out of the words.

She tried not to bridle at the insult. Surely he hadn't meant to sound so condescending. "Just because there's no war or bloodshed here doesn't mean that the rest of the land is at peace. We don't know what's going on beyond the borders of this valley." Cara struggled to express her unease. "It's as if someone, or something, wants us to stay here and be cut off from the rest of the world."

"Now you're imagining things, Cara." There was no mistaking the condescension in **Kahlan's** voice. "We've defeated the Keeper. Our worries are over, most of them, anyway." The Confessor added, eyeing Darken with antipathy before relaxing back into Richard's embrace.

For just a second tension crackled through the clearing, then evaporated.

Cara found their behavior incomprehensible. Was she the only one who still understood the stakes involved, who realized that the battle would never be over.

Her fingers tightened around the amulet. It felt warm under her fingers, comforting..

Cara looked over to Darken, hoping for some support. "Why don't you help me for once? You know that we have to find a way out of here – and soon."

The former tyrant had been watching the conversation with a detachment bordering on disinterest, but now his eyes turned cold. "Why in the Creator's name would I do that?" he gave a harsh laugh. "I'm in no hurry to reach Aydindril. Why should I be?" Darken leveled a piercing stare at Kahlan. "I see a trial in my future once we arrive at the Confessor's Palace. Isn't that what you have planned for me, Mother Confessor?"

The peaceful lethargy that had enveloped the clearing vanished as Darken once again forced a confrontation, perhaps this time with legitimate cause. The air was again charged with tension and barely suppressed violence. Cara thought she heard the faint echo of laughter from the depths of the forest, but maybe it had only been inside her head.

"That can't be true! Richard wouldn't allow it," she blurted out. There had been no talk of bringing Darken to trial. Swept by a feeling of betrayal, Cara looked over at the woman she had believed to be her friend, but Kahlan's attention was focused on her enemy.

"My brother is not the final authority in the Midlands," Darken drawled. "But it wouldn't matter if he were. The Mother Confessor only has to promise him a taste of what she has between her legs, and he'll do anything she asks."

Richard sprang up, the Sword of Truth already drawn, glowing with the Seeker's rage. "Shut your filthy mouth!" his lips were curled back from his teeth. "If you lay one hand on her, I'll kill you! " Cara tried to block the attack, but Kahlan moved swiftly to shove the Mord'Sith out of the way. "Why are you protecting that monster?" she snapped at Cara. "Didn't you hear what he just said?"

"Don't let that demon goad you into doing anything rash, my boy." It was Zedd, calling from his comfortable perch under the branches. He sounded unconcerned that the fragile truce between their little band was quickly unraveling.

The tip of Richard's blade pricked Darken's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "I'm more concerned about what the Mother Confessor will do once she gets her hands on me, brother," he snarled. "I don't want your precious Kahlan. You're welcome to her. But I did believe that you and I had an agreement to let bygones be bygones."

Darken's voice dripped with bitterness as he regarded his brother. "Tell me, have the two of you been plotting my death during your little trysts in the forest? As I recall, you bonded so romantically when you destroyed me in West Granthia."

"Bygones!" Kahlan hissed, stalking over to her arch-nemesis. "You are guilty of slaughtering thousands of innocents. You almost destroyed the line of Confessors. You sent your minions to kill my sister!" Her voice broke and she struggled to regain her composure, not noticing how white and still Cara had gone. "You are a cold-blooded mass murderer, and I **will** see youtried for your crimes." Hatred overcame grief as she brought her face to within inches of his.

"**I will see you burn."**

"Kahlan, why didn't you tell me about this?" Richard voice was beginning to waver with uncertainty as he lowered his sword. Darken remained very still, his eyes fixed on the Mother Confessor's. "We always said we would never keep secrets from each other."

"You're too soft-hearted," Kahlan's voice was brisk with certainty. "Always too eager to believe the best of people. You have to trust me, Richard. There are some people who can't be saved, and shouldn't be spared. It's weakness to think otherwise." She stood straight and tall, the very epitome of stern justice, as her voice rang out in the clearing.

"And you would know all about the best and the worst in people, wouldn't you, Kahlan?" Darken taunted. "How many lives have you destroyed? You are such a hypocrite."

With a low cry, Kahlan pulled her daggers and lunged as Cara threw herself between them, grabbing Darken from behind and taking him to the ground. Shielding him with her body, the Mord'Sith reached for her agiels as she turned to face the Confessor.

"Cara – stop! What are you doing?" It was Zedd, finally disturbed enough by the commotion to amble over to appraise the situation, his mouth full of persimmon.

"What am **I** doing?" Cara jumped to her feet, outraged at the injustice. "I'm trying to stop us from killing each other."

How dare the Wizard blame her! He always assumed she was at fault – or Darken.

She turned on him. "If you're not going to help, Zedd, just keep stuffing your belly full of food until you explode?"

Zedd blinked in surprise and started to speak, but then seemed to reconsider. "Now that you mention it, I'm famished." Without another word, he turned and walked away. Cara bit back a wave of hurt. If he wasn't going to intervene, then it was up to her to stop this debacle

"Rahl is not one of us," Kahlan shouted at her. "He's never been one of us, he never will be. Whose side are you on, Cara, his or ours?

"Kahlan, maybe you should just calm down and we can– " Richard tried to interject, but was cut off by the Confessor's accusations.

"You're finally showing your true loyalties, aren't you, **Mistress **Cara? How typical for a Mord'Sith! I warned Richard from the very beginning that bringing you along was a mistake. I should never have trusted you."

Kahlan's words struck Cara like a blow.

_One of us has to stay in control_, she thought, struggling for calm. "Darken fought with us at the Pillars of Creation, Kahlan. He risked his life even knowing what it would mean if he were sent back to the Keeper." She kept her voice level, as if soothing a wild creature.

While the two women confronted each other, Darken had scrambled back to his feet, waving away Richard's proffered hand, the same hand that had held a blade to his brother's throat only moments before.

"Rahl was the Keeper's most devoted servant until he realized he was only a glorified slave. He never cared about saving the world, only about saving his own skin." Kahlan's eyes glittered with disgust as her gaze returned to the true object of her rage.

"You gave me a second chance, even after you knew about the things I had done." Cara tried to reason with her friend. "Richard's willing to give Darken a second chance, why can't you?"

"That was different," Kahlan was in no mood to listen. "You didn't have any choice about being his puppet." Her expression hardened.

"I was **not** a puppet." Cara's throat tightened with anger. Kahlan would never understand what it meant to be Mord'Sith . Her palm tingled as she gripped the amulet. Instinctively, her fingers began tracing the runes etched into its surface, the sensation shooting up her arm and into her chest, like the burning magic of the agiel, but more powerful, more intoxicating.

The Mother Confessor's glare was once again focused on Darken. Striding over to where he stood by his brother, she challenged Richard, dropping any pretense of the soft, pliant lover. "You can't have both of us in your life, Richard. You and I belong together – we've known it from the beginning. Don't let Rahl ruin it for us. As long as he lives we can never be free of the past. He must pay for what he's done."

"Kahlan, I love you more than anything in life, but this just doesn't seem - right." Richard's countenance was clouded by doubt. "And we were all so happy just a few minutes ago," he added in a wistful voice.

Darken snorted in derision at his brother's weakness. "So much for your vaunted integrity, Seeker," he scoffed. "Maybe I **should** have tried to take back my throne instead of trusting you."

The Confessor rounded on him, daggers still drawn. "You beast," she hissed. "I'm not going to wait until we get to Aydindril. We're going to finish this right now."

Darken's breath quickened, eyes glinting with anticipation as she advanced. "You might not find me so easy to defeat, Kahlan, even without my magic – or my dagger, but I wouldn't dream of turning down a chance to roll around in the grass with you."

"Don't you even think about touching her," Richard yelled, his mood swinging back against his brother once again.

Cara looked on, frozen to the spot, as the anger pulsed through her body.

This was going to end now.

She was sick of their never-ending war.

**Look at the two of them! **

Darken and Kahlan claimed to hate each other, but whenever they came together it was if everybody else in the world ceased to exist, each striking sparks off the other.

It infuriated her.

It hurt in ways Cara couldn't begin to explain.

_They belong together! _A malicious voice chuckled into her ear.

_Why don't you remind them of what they once meant to each other?_

"How could you want to murder your own husband, Kahlan?

It was a nasty blow, unworthy of her. Cara knew it and didn't care. She had no idea of what Darken and Kahlan's wedded life had been like in that time that never was, only that their union had spawned a Confessor child who had destroyed everything in his path.

"Cara, **No!**" Kahlan's eyes filled with horror, her hunger for vengeance forgotten in the face of the Mord'Sith's quiet threat. "Please don't. It didn't really happen. It wasn't real."

"You were married to Darken Rahl – for years." Cara was inexorable. She was tired of Kahlan's self-righteousness. "Richard and I told you all about it. I think you remember more than you let on. For all I know the two of you were very happy together. Maybe that's why you still can't stay away from him" She was gripping the amulet so tightly her hand had gone numb, she could feel a tickling under her skin, through her veins.

"They **weren't** happy together. How could you even think that?" Richard couldn't keep silent at such blasphemy. "She was miserable. Weren't you, Kahlan?" He crossed the clearing and pulled the Confessor into a tight embrace.

"Yes, I was miserable!" Kahlan said, her voice muffled against the Seeker's stalwart shoulder. "I mean, I don't remember, but I'm sure it was a nightmare."

"We all know how brave Kahlan was during that - incident – and we agreed that it would never, ever, be brought up again." Richard shot a warning look at the Mord'Sith.

"Please, Cara. You promised that nobody would ever know." Kahlan wailed. Her daggers lay forgotten at her feet. "I'm sorry I said all those terrible things about you – I didn't mean them." Cara's only response was to retrieve the Confessor's weapons while she had the chance, slipping them under her belt. She wished she could confiscate the Sword of Truth, but could only hope that Richard would show a little common sense.

"Am I supposed to know what all of you are talking about, or is this a game?" Darken asked, studying each of them in turn, suspicious and confused. Finally, his gaze settled on Kahlan. "The Mother Confessor and I were never married. I would have to be a fool to wed my greatest enemy."

_Even now, he can't tear his eyes away from her. _

_You're the one who is trying to help him, and he doesn't even look at you. _It was that voice again, mocking, laughing.

Cara's throat tightened with anger. "You are fools –both of you," she growled. "So fixated on each other that you might as well be married even now. Maybe if you were, the rest of us could get some peace."

Without another word, the Mord'Sith turned on her heel and marched away, leaving them to sort things out on their own. If they didn't want her help, so be it.


	2. Made for Each Other

**Made for Each Other**

The afternoon sun was sinking below the tree tops when she rejoined Zedd on the far side of the glade. The wizard was surrounded by a pile of persimmon seeds and peach pits, and was so engrossed in chewing that he didn't notice her approach until she loomed over him. The least he could have done was gather some firewood, but like everything else, that had been left up to her.

'"Caruh aruhh, arou u goi to hunh fo sooom foo? Raboisteooh woobe goo."

What was he nattering on about? His mouth was so full of fruit she couldn't understand a word he was saying, but by the way he gestured toward her bow Cara surmised that he wanted more food.

_Raboisteooh_ - Rabbit stew?

"I'll get your rabbits for you, Wizard, but I expect you and Richard to have a fire going and the cooking pot prepared when I return." Ignoring Zedd's gooey grin, Cara strode into the forest, armed for the hunt. There was little challenge to finding fresh game in these woods, and she knew there would be no need for weapons, but she felt naked without them.

She returned within the hour, a string of rabbits slung over her back, only to find Zedd still chomping away and no firewood in sight. The wizard beamed at her when she tossed the fresh kill at his feet.

"Where's Richard?" she asked, a knot of unease forming in the pit of her stomach. Surely if one of them had been injured there would be an outcry. "Why hasn't he come back to help?" Zedd shrugged his bony shoulders, reaching for another peach. "Don knoo, oor tha wai, I ges" he garbled, biting through the yellow rind.

_Over that way, I guess. _Cara regarded the gluttony with distaste as she tried to decipher the words.

The Wizard had always loved a good meal, but this was getting ridiculous. "Zedd, you're going to make yourself sick. Why don't you stop eating for a few minutes while I prepare the fire and heat some fresh water, or you won't have any appetite left for hot stew?"

It was like talking to a child.

Why were all of them acting like such children?

He waved her away with a smile. "Don worr, Il sti behhuhhngy." Shaking her head in defeat, Cara left his side. She would have to make several trips to gather enough wood to last the night.

_How had these people ever survived before she came along? _

Grousing to herself over the helplessness of her charges, she trekked back and forth between the forest and the clearing, until there was sufficient fuel to see them through to morning.

None of the others had yet returned.

The slope of the land made it impossible to see to the other side of the clearing from the campsite, and Cara pondered whether she should fetch the others. The silence was a little unnerving, but she was tired of being a glorified babysitter. Most evenings, Richard and Kahlan would wander off to spend time alone, but they would not have done so this night, not if it meant leaving Darken to his own devices.

Maybe Darken wasn't alive.

Maybe he had escaped.

Maybe – she should never have left the three of them alone together.

Cara pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to find the others and bring them back," she told Zedd. "It's getting - "

"**ZEEDDD!"**

It was Richard, his voice edged with panic.

Something terrible had happened.

Cara knew it.

The Seeker came loping over the hill, panting and disheveled. "Zedd! Cara! Please – hurry! You have to help Kahlan," he bent over, grabbing his knees, trying to draw in deep gulps of air. "It's horrible. I couldn't stop it." The young man's features twisted in anguish.

Zedd dropped his half-eaten peach and rushed to his grandson's side. "Take me to her, son. You know I'll do anything I can."

"What is it, Richard?" Cara barked, grabbing her bow, checking her agiels, trying to imagine every dreadful possibility. "Is Kahlan dead? Where is she?"

"No, she's still alive, but it's the worst-." Richard was almost in tears, his eyes wide with shock. "It's – Rahl. I can't even talk about it. He did something – something so terrible I can't even - "

"**What?"** Cara grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking. "What did he do? Tell me."

_She didn't believe it. _

_Even if he'd had the inclination, Darken wasn't stupid enough to assault Kahlan with his brother nearby. Richard would have killed him in a heartbeat._

"Darken wasn't even armed, Richard. He has no magic. What could he have done to her?" Cara was torn between anger and fear.

"Easy, Cara. Give the boy some room," the Wizard chided before turning to his grandson. "Take us to Kahlan, my boy. I swear, if that demon has harmed her – "

Richard had finally managed to catch his breath, but was still barely coherent. "Come with me. I'll show you."

"Hurry! There's no time to tarry. If we don't get there right now it will be too late. Rahl will - " his voice broke, unable to speak further.

Her heart thudding in her chest, Cara raced ahead of the two men, a blur of red, not halting until she reached the edge of the woods where she had left the trio earlier in the afternoon.

Nothing.

Richard caught up to her, with Zedd lagging close behind.

"There's no one here, Richard. Where was Kahlan when you saw her last?" Cara was peering about her, trying to see into the deepening shadows. "Was she able to walk? Was Darken carrying her?" She wished he could give her more details.

"She was right here." Richard looked puzzled. "They couldn't have gone far."

The setting sun glinted through the trees and Cara caught a flash of white.

Kahlan's dress.

"She's over there," Cara whispered. "Quiet. We don't want to give ourselves away."

As the three skirted the trees, creeping ever closer, soft sounds drifted over to them.

A woman's voice.

It was Kahlan.

Cara inched nearer, hunched down in the grass, trying to make sense of the words.

"This is all happening so fast, Darken, I can hardly take it in."

_Darken! _

Kahlan never called him by his given name.

"I don't understand it either, Kahlan, but if I've learned one thing from being dead and resurrected, it's that you have to seize the moment."

Cara felt a painful lurch in under her ribs. She would have known that velvet purr anywhere, but she had never heard it infused with such tenderness, such sincerity.

"I wish I could give you a jewel worthy of your beauty, my love, but I no longer have armies at my command, a treasury, my signet ring or, really, anything more than the filthy clothes on my back, but everything I do have is yours."

The Mord'Sith wondered if her hearing was amiss. It was Darken's voice, but speaking words that he would never allow to pass his lips.

"I know what you mean, darling," Kahlan murmured. "It's frightening to think that I almost killed the only man I could ever love."

"Then what's your answer?"

Kahlan's laughter was like music wafting through the air. "Yes. **Yes!** Of course it's yes, you silly man."

"**No!" **

Richard burst out of concealment to push his way over to his lover, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away from his brother. "No – I won't let this happen. This isn't you, Kahlan," he begged. "Can't you see the truth? It's Richard. I'm the man you love, not him."

There was no point in hiding any longer. Cara and Zedd emerged from the trees to join Richard.

Snarling at Richard's presumption, Darken stepped between the Seeker and the Confessor. "Release her, brother. If you so much as harm a hair on her head, I swear I'll –" he turned to Kahlan, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Are you all right, sweetling? I won't let him harm you"

_Sweetling!_

Cara didn't know whether to laugh, strike both of them with an agiel or throw up.

As Darken shoved Richard away from Kahlan, the Seeker reached for his sword only to be stopped by the Confessor's cry of protest. "Richard, no! Stop it! You can't kill the man I love."

For the second time that day, Richard lowered his sword in confusion. "Kahlan, listen to yourself," he begged. "Darken must be controlling you with dark magic to make you act this way. Don't you know me? It's me – Richard, the Seeker of Truth. It's me you want, not him."

"Maybe Rahl's put you under a spell that makes you see him in my body," Richard added with pathetic hopefulness.

"You don't have to keep introducing yourself to me, Richard. I can see both you and Darken quite clearly. Don't address me as if I were a child." Kahlan's tone was gentle but firm. She rested her head against Darken's shoulder. "And I see the truth more clearly now than I ever have." Her eyes met Richard's pleading gaze. "I'll always care for you, but Darken and I are meant for each other."

For the first time, Kahlan noticed Cara and Zedd standing behind Richard, their mouths agape in astonishment.

"Zedd, Cara, I have the most wonderful news. Darken's asked me to marry him, and I've said yes." Kahlan beamed at her friends. Noting their stunned demeanors, she pouted. "I would be nice if you would be just a little bit happy for me. After all, I can finally be with a man without worrying about confessing him."

"I didn't plan on this, brother," Darken was trying to explain. With Kahlan now back safely in his arms he appeared unruffled by Richard's angry glare. "It just happened. Kahlan and I were arguing one minute, and then – it was like a thunderbolt. She and I both felt it. We suddenly realized that we belonged together."

Yes – that's exactly what it was like," Kahlan wrapped her arms tightly around Darken's waist. "You have such a way with words, darling," she said in a teasing voice, nuzzling her face against his neck.

"You bring out the best in me, sweetheart," Darken breathed into her ear. "That tickles,' she giggled, gazing at him with a rapt expression. Then threading her slender fingers through his long matted hair, she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

Both Richard and Darken moaned at the same time.

"I told you it was too horrible to believe." The Seeker looked imploringly at Cara and Zedd, who could only nod numbly in agreement. 'Please make it stop, Zedd." Richard beseeched his grandfather. "He's done something to her."

Swept by a sudden suspicion, Cara reached into her pocket and touched the amulet, remembering her words during Darken and Kahlan's earlier confrontation.

_You might as well be married even now. Maybe if you were, the rest of us could get some peace. _

**This was impossible.**

Mord'Sith couldn't wield magic, they repelled it.

They were only words said in anger, nothing more.

"Darken had nothing to do with this, Richard," Cara said with authority, trying to quell her uneasiness. Richard's constant blaming was becoming tiresome. "Anybody with eyes in their head can see that both of them are in the grip of these," she struggled to find the right word, "feelings."

"She's right, my boy," Zedd admitted, sounding reluctant. "If there's magic involved, it has spelled them both."

"The only magic at work, Zedd, is the magic of our love." Kahlan announced, her hand clasped in Darken's . "I know this is going to be difficult for all of you to accept, but the only thing that matters is that the two of us are going to be together – in every way."

Richard moaned again.

Now that everything was settled, the Confessor smiled happily at all of them. "We have so much to do – I have to plan the wedding at Aydindril –

"The People's Palace," Darken corrected her gently. "They want to kill me at Aydindril – remember?"

"I'll take care of that little matter, darling." Kahlan's smile tightened briefly at the interruption before she continued, "I have to order a new white dress as soon as we arrive."

"Red. You'll be wearing a **red** dress." Darken's voice had sharpened. "You'll be wearing a red dress when we get married - at the **People's Palace**."

"The Mother Confessor always wears** white**," she countered, a chill creeping into her tone. "She wears a white dress when she takes a mate – at the **Confessor's Palace**."

"The Queen of D'Hara always wears red," he refused to budge.

Kahlan laughed a little shakily, giving Darken a quick peck on the cheek. "We can talk about it later, dear. Let's not argue in front of our friends. It's been a long day and I'm starving."

A joyous grin split Zedd's face at the mention of food . "Dear one, that's the best thing I've heard all day. I'm hungry enough to eat a horse."

Zedd led the way as the Merry Band trekked back to the comfort of their evening meal while Richard hung back, glowering at the backs of the happy couple..

Cara brought up the rear, plagued by worry. For days she had been brooding over everyone's shortcomings. Now she was beginning to wonder if she were the problem.

The amulet burned against her skin.


	3. Destiny Calls

**Destiny Calls**

"I just can't seem to get enough of this delicious stew," Zedd marveled, dipping into the steaming pot and filling his bowl for the third time. "It must be all the fresh air and exercise, but the more I eat, the emptier I feel."

Upon returning to the campsite with the sullen Seeker and the newly betrothed enemies in tow, he and Cara had wasted no time in preparing a small feast, and now her mouth watered as the aroma of simmering rabbit and vegetables filled the clearing. She was ravenous. With the exception of a few wild berries scarfed down at daybreak, she hadn't taken a bite all day. Driven by the determination to lead her charges out of the valley, Cara had refused to stop for a mid-day meal, and the afternoon had been too full of melodrama to think about her own hunger.

Zedd, on the other hand, was still wolfing down everything in sight. He had taken a brief respite when summoned by his grandson to rescue Kahlan, but after having failed to restore enmity between Darken and Kahlan, the Wizard had resumed his favorite pastime with a vengeance.

"I'm sorry, Richard, there's nothing I can do," Zedd had informed the dejected Seeker upon their return, shrugging his shoulders, strangely nonchalant for a Wizard of the First Order no longer able to wield Powerful Magic. "Something seems to be blocking my powers."

"Doesn't that prove my point, Zedd?" Cara had interjected. "It's this place. It's changing you, Rahl, Kahlan, even Richard. None of you are acting like yourselves. For some reason, I seem to be the only one not affected."

"We have to get out of here – tonight."

But he hadn't given her credence. None of them wanted to listen.

"Nonsense, Cara," Zedd had laughed, settling himself down by the fire. "All we need is a hot meal and a good night's sleep. Everything will be fine in the morning."

Nothing was fine.

Everything was wrong.

Why was she the only one who could see the truth?

Seething at the Wizard's disinterest, Cara reached for the only possession that gave comfort, tracing her fingers over the now-familiar patterns.

Her amulet.

If she told the Wizard about the stone, showed it to him, perhaps he could understand the meaning of the symbols engraved on its surface.

But perchance he would take it away from her.

She couldn't give up the only thing that gave her any sense of control in a world gone askew. Even her agiels were useless against this unseen force that thwarted her efforts at every turn.

Resigned to the fact that there would be no travel until the morrow, Cara tucked into her food, trying to ignore the distress of the man sitting beside her. Richard had been at his wit's end when he fetched them earlier, and despite his grandfather's detached calm, he was growing more agitated by the minute, too riveted on Darken and Kahlan to take any nourishment.

"You have to watch them every single minute, Cara," he whispered with desperate intensity, clutching her arm so tightly that she came close to spilling the scalding broth over her lap. "We can't let them be alone together. Creator only knows what he'll do to her."

"Richard, is that **all **you can think about?" she asked, incredulous at his priorities, his lack of perception. Under the circumstances, the prospect of Darken and Kahlan wandering off into the woods together was the least of their worries. "Darken is not controlling Kahlan. You can see that for yourself. He's not going to do anything to her, or with her, against her will." Noting his stricken expression, Cara felt a stab of exasperation. The Seeker and Confessor would be much better off if they shared her pragmatic attitude toward sex. Be that as it may, she wasn't about to become the Seeker's watchdog, trailing after two consenting adults.

She didn't know why Richard felt the need to lower his voice. Glancing over at the happy pair, Cara thought it obvious that neither would pay the slightest heed if she, Zedd and Richard all started screaming together at the top of their lungs.

Once Kahlan had announced the upcoming nuptials to her friends, the couple had been so engrossed with each other that no one else seemed to exist.

After eating her fill of the fragrant stew, Kahlan had climbed onto Darken's lap, insisting on feeding him greasy pieces of stewed rabbit piece by piece, kissing and licking away any remnants that dribbled down his chin. Although taken aback at first, he had quickly warmed to her attentions.

It was almost enough to make Cara lose her appetite, but at least when the two of them were eating, licking and kissing, they weren't talking.

That was even worse.

**oOo**

"Daaarken?" Kahlan's voice was a lazy purr. "I want to tell you a secret, but I'm too ashamed."

Cara sighed, bracing herself for more nauseating drivel. She should have known the silence was too good to last. At least she had managed to get some food in her stomach before they started up again.

"Tell me," Darken murmured, cupping the Confessor's chin in his hand. "I'm the soul of discretion."

Kahlan laughed, tracing his lips with her thumb. "Even when I hated you, my knees would go weak every time you smiled at me."

"Smile for me," she ordered.

"You were ashamed of liking my smile?" Darken looked puzzled, but obligingly beamed at her, only to be met with a giggling rebuke. "Nooo, not your nice smile, darling. I didn't even know you had a nice smile." Kahlan brushed her lips against his ear, her voice husky with desire. "I want to see your eeeviiil smile. You know the one I mean - when you curve up one corner of your mouth, like this." She tugged at Darken's mouth with gentle resolve until he obeyed.

"Yes!" she crooned with satisfaction at his familiar smirk. "It makes me feel so depraved, but of course I could never let anyone know. After all, I** am** the Mother Confessor." Kahlan rubbed her nose against his stubbly cheek. "It must mean that I'm very wicked." She nibbled his lower lip. "I think I should be punished, don't you?" Her hand slipped under his shirt.

"Perhaps, but what should I do to you?" Darken growled, his velvet tone soft with both threat and promise, as he pulled the Confessor down with him to the grassy floor of the clearing. "I have quite a talent for wielding an agiel. There are so many ways one can be used, and my imagination is limitless." He nuzzled the nape of her neck.

"I can't say I enjoyed Denna's use of the agiel," Kahlan seemed a little hesitant, but open to suggestion.

"Denna was a blunt instrument with delusions of grandeur. I don't want to hear her name again." Darken's voice had sharpened. He hated being reminded of the **other** Mord'Sith who had gulled and betrayed him. For an instant his eyes flashed with ire and he almost appeared his old self.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Kahlan said tenderly, caressing his troubled brow. "That name will be banned between us. It had to be so terrible to lose everything through the base treachery of a woman you trusted with your life."

"It was indeed," Darken concurred, his eyes shadowed with bitterness as he glanced over at the Mord'Sith sitting nearby. Then, appearing to dismiss both Denna and Cara from his mind, he gentled his tone, the adoring lover once more. "In the hands of a true artist, the pain of the agiel can be exquisite. One only has to have the right touch." He nipped her earlobe, drawing forth a low moan from the Confessor's throat. "And I **do** have the right touch," he breathed. "Would you like me to show you?"

"Yes! Show me – now." Kahlan wrapped her arms around his shoulders, dragging his body flush against hers.

"I'm afraid I don't have one at my command at present, but perhaps Mistress Cara will let me borrow one of hers." Darken grinned at his former Mord'Sith.

Cara glared back, clasping a possessive hand over each of her weapons "Don't even think about it," she warned.

"Oooh! Will it hurt?" the Confessor squeaked in delight, all semblance of dignity gone as she hooked one leg over his hip. "I might scream – would you like that?"

"Only if you screamed in pleasure, my darling," Darken's voice was thick with hunger as she wriggled beneath him. "And I will give you such pleasure."

Cara gagged, pushing away her bowl with revulsion. These two had managed to ruin the first chance she'd had to relax this day.

Didn't they know how ridiculous they looked?

Didn't they have any pride?

She found herself longing for the snide sardonic Darken and the poised imperious Kahlan she used to know. They would never have lowered themselves to this saccharine idiocy.

Yet – here they were.

_And whose fault was that?_

"Please Cara, let him have the agiels." Kahlan panted, her cheeks flushed, breasts straining against her white bodice as she knit her fingers through Darken's tangled hair. "Show me want you can do, sweetheart, make me scream," she begged.

Oh, for Creator's sake! This was beyond disgusting.

The Mord'Sith reached for her weapons, ready to do some minor damage, only enough to drive them apart, when the Seeker forestalled her.

"**Stop right now!** I forbid you to go any farther with this, this – obscenity." Richard sputtered with rage, springing to his feet and unsheathing the Sword of Truth in one fluid motion. The weapon's blade gleamed in the dusk. "I forbid it!"

"Richard, **No!**" Cara leapt up in alarm. She wanted the embarrassing display stopped, too, but he was only going to make things worse.

"What's wrong with you, Richard?" Kahlan snapped, her voice edged with impatience. "You don't have the right to forbid me anything. I'm the Mother Confessor." She propped herself up on her elbows, causing Darken to lose his balance and roll off her. "You are just going to have to get over this unhealthy obsession you have with me."

"Go find a nice young woman to settle down with. What about what's-her-name in Hartland? Annie, Anna? She seemed very sweet."

"I don't want her! I want you, and you want me." Richard snarled, waving his sword at all of them.

Darken cocked an eyebrow at his brother. "Are you threatening the woman you claim to love?" He asked with cool interest. "If so, you have some very interesting ideas about winning a woman's heart."

"He'll never win me back, darling." Kahlan assured the former tyrant, resting her head against his arm. "I'm yours. We're ours." She looked confused for a moment, searching for the right phrase. "We're us, and we belong together – forever and ever and ever" she finished triumphantly.

By now, even Zedd had noticed that something was awry, although he didn't stop eating, staring wide-eyed at his grandson over the rim of his bowl, the seventh by Cara's count.

The Mord'Sith stood with baited breath, hands on her agiels, her gaze never leaving Richard, afraid to move lest she provoke him to violence.

"Let him posture, sweetheart," Darken drawled, his eyes drinking in his brother's anger. "The Seeker knows I can do what he cannot, so he has to point that big sword at me." He smiled. "It's all you're able to do, isn't it – brother?"

"You won't have her, you monster!" Richard advanced on Darken, who still lay half-sprawled on the ground.

Kahlan, lips pulled back from her teeth, rose to meet him, reaching futilely for her daggers. Then, remembering, she looked over at the Cara. "Give them back," she demanded.

"No!"

Without skipping a beat, the Confessor whirled back to face the Seeker, reaching out and clasping her hand around his throat. Richard froze in shock. Throwing her head back she released her powers – and nothing happened.

"What? Kahlan studied her hands as if she'd never seen them before. "I felt my magic. It was there. Why didn't it work?'

Recovering from his near-confession, Richard lunged at Darken, who managed to scramble to his feet when Kahlan pushed in between them. "What a coward you are," she taunted Richard. "Is it your destiny to use the Sword of Truth against an unarmed man?"

"You can't protect him, Kahlan. Don't even try." Richard shoved her roughly out of the way. "I'll kill him before I let him have you."

Stumbling over a tree stump, the Mother Confessor pitched head-first into a blackberry bush. "Richard, please stop, this isn't like you," she begged, trying to pull herself free of the entangling foliage. "If you hurt Darken, I'll hate you. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Is it like** you** to confess the man you used to love?" Richard cried as he continued to press his advantage against his brother. "You are the one who has changed, not me. But I'm going to set everything right again."

"Zedd, do something. Make him stop." Kahlan shouted for the Wizard's aid, desperate to save the man she loved.

"Eeen a feeeew meeennus. I hav to finissshh eeaing furs," the old man garbled through a mouthful of stew. "Don dooo anythee rasss, Rissuurd," he added helpfully.

"Once Rahl is dead, you'll want me again, Kahlan." Richard eyes were stone. "Everything will be the way it was before."

_They were insane._

_All of them._

_She was the only one who could fix this._

Horror-struck, furious, Cara knew she couldn't let Richard murder his own brother. There was no choice but to battle the man she was sworn to serve. Why had Richard forced her hand?

How ironic that she would again be fighting to protect the tyrant she had once betrayed.

Unless –

Her fingers sought the amulet.

A faint echo of laughter came from the depths of the forest, but she didn't have time to worry about that now.

All she wanted to do was to stop this madness, nothing more.

This time she would not be so careless with her wishes.

The familiar jolt pulsed through her body as she grasped the stone. Its magic felt like needles under her skin.

Cara gritted her teeth against the surge of resentment that swept over her.

She had had enough of Richard's foolishness.

His pathetic pining after the Confessor.

His petty jealousy.

His recklessness.

She should have abandoned him at the Pillars of Creation.

The Seeker had delayed their search for the Stone of Tears countless times, always finding an excuse to tilt at windmills, always going off on one of his stupid rescue missions.

Everything was his fault.

"Richard," Cara called, her voice shaking with fury. "You can't kill Darken right now."

"What? Why?" Richard glanced over at her for a second, distracted, giving Darken the opportunity to dart out of range. "Cara, can't you see that I'm busy over here. I have to kill him or I won't get Kahlan back."

"You can't kill him because you have a more important destiny, Seeker." Cara's pent-up frustration at this man's every short-sighted, naïve decision came rushing to the fore. "There are kittens trapped up every tree in this forest and only you can rescue them. They are all out there, Richard, depending on you. Those poor little kittens, waiting for you to save them, and you just can't resist."

The young man started to speak, then seemed to think better of it as the air grew heavy around them.

For a moment utter silence reigned in the clearing as Richard's glance touched on Cara, Darken and finally Kahlan, his countenance furrowed in concentration. Finally, heaving a great sigh at the heavy burden of destiny, he dropped his sword.

Kahlan sobbed with relief, heedless of the briars shredding her dress as she rushed to Darken's side.

Without warning, the stillness was shattered by a cacophony of meows, howls, yowls, screeches, squalls and hisses.

The collective vocalization of thousands of kittens trapped up thousands of trees.

Tabby cats, calicos cats, tortoiseshell cats, marmalade cats, long-haired cats, short-haired cats, black cats and white cats.

Caterwauling.

Cara closed her eyes in despair.

_What had she done?_

_**It was his fault!**_

_What choice had he given her?_

Richard gaped in awe. "They're everywhere," he said in a hushed voice, looking dazed, then his voice hardened with determination. "They need me, and I have to save them all."

Squaring his shoulders, he scabbarded the Sword of Truth, readying himself again for battle.

The battle to save the helpless.

"I'll be back when they're all safe," the Seeker announced solemnly to his stunned companions, then turning on his heel, he strode into the kitten's den.


	4. Chaos

**Chaos**

**Mrrrooooooooowww  
><strong>  
>Cara dodged, but not quickly enough to avoid the razor-sharp claws which dug into her cheek. She would have reached up to wipe away the blood trickling down her face if not for the armload of hissing ferocious felines she was rescuing from doom. Her leathers, which had withstood the onslaught of every weapon known to man and demon, were already marred with scratches and bite marks.<p>

At least she was better insulated than Richard, whose face, arms, chest and shoulders were a mass of scrapes and bites. A enraged tabby had reduced his shirt to tatters, before scrambling up to the same branch from whence the Seeker had retrieved her only seconds before.  
>Indeed, once returned to the safety of solid ground, most of the kittens resolutely climbed the nearest tree, where they would resume their piteous howling.<p>

Not every cat reclaimed its perch. Some of the animals prowled underfoot, and despite their would-be saviors careful attempts to walk around and over them, Cara and Richard had both taken nasty falls after taking a wrong step.

The howling was positively deafening. It might have been her fevered imagination but Cara could swear that the cats were multiplying before her eyes.

She had been fighting the urge to start stunning the animals with her agiels, but knew RIchard would be horrified at the very idea of harming a helpless kitten.

Helpless! There was nothing helpless about these creatures, their cute and cuddly appearance belied a determined effort to foil Cara and Richard's every move.

"Cara – what are we going to do?" Richard screamed into her ear as he tried to grab onto the recalcitrant escapee again, but the cat had ascended out of reach. "I keep rescuing them, and they just climb back up again. Then they cry for me to fetch them again."

The Mord'Sith turned on him in exasperation, but seeing his woeful expression, stopped the sharp words that sprang to her lips.

She could hardly blame the Seeker for what she had brought down on them all. But she did blame him, perhaps unfairly, for caring so much.

"For Creator's sake, Richard! The cats climbed the trees on their own, and most of them are clambering right back up as soon as they're released. If the pestilent creatures want to be up a tree, then we should walk away and forget about this - mission."

"But I can't forget about it, Cara. They need me, and I **have**to help them. You sent me to rescue all of kittens, and I have to do it." Blood, and tears of frustration, streaked down Richard's face as he tried to make her understand. The Sword of Truth had been tossed onto the grass, having proved useless since using it only frightened the animals, forcing them higher into the trees.

He was right. Cara had sent him on this insane mission, and the magic of the amulet had somehow lent her the power to not only make the cats appear out of thin air, but to compel Richard to obey her orders.

Not to mention the fact that the amulet had already turned Zedd into little more than a ravenous empty stomach, and Darken and Kahlan into swooning love-struck idiots.

Besides, there was no walking away. Not only were there thousands of kittens swarming around them, but they were still lost.  
>Stuck in this cursed valley where magic worked backwards.<p>

Where were the others? This task was daunting, but at the very least Kahlan, Darken and Zedd could lend three welcome set of hands.  
>"I'll be right back!" Cara yelled at Richard, her voice barely carrying over the yowls. "I'm going to get help."<p>

He nodded back at her, eyes looking wild and slightly desperate, before she turned and stomped back toward the clearing.

When she emerged from the forest, Cara was so furious she was seeing red, or maybe it was just the blood streaming into her eyes from the newest scratch on her forehead.

Darken and Kahlan were lolling in each other's arms , nuzzling and murmuring sickening gibberish Cara didn't even want to imagine. The lovers were completely oblivious to the kittens crawling around their entwined bodies until Kahlan broke off an impassioned kiss when a fluffy ball of fur wriggled its way between them.

The Mother Confessor smiled in delight. "Oh, look, Darken. Isn't he just the sweetest little thing? I've never had a pet. Let's take him with us. I just love cats, don't you?"

"**No!**" For the first time, Darken snapped at his lady-love, then his expression softened at her crestfallen face. "I mean," he added more quietly, "it's not that I don't like them, it's just that I've never had much luck with them. It's a long story…"His voice trailed off. This was clearly a subject he did not want to pursue.

He glanced around him, for the first time seeming to notice that their new little companion was not alone. "Where did all these cats come from?"

Darken's famed memory had either started to fail him, or he had been too focused on his brother's earlier attack to pay heed to Cara when she had sent Richard on his rescue mission, and later so engrossed with Kahlan's caresses to notice the ear-splitting noise surrounding them.

Love was truly blind – and deaf.

Cara didn't have patience for their silliness. "Both of you, come with me – now. Richard and I need your help. We can't gather up all these animals on our own."

Darken's glanced at her as the words began to penetrate his love-drunk daze. "Why should I do anything to help my brother?" he demanded. "He was trying to murder me in cold blood less than an hour ago. "

"I stopped him from hurting you, and now it's your turn to return the favor – not for Richard, for me." Cara snapped.

"But you serve the **true**Lord Rahl now, Cara. How can my puny efforts be of any use?" Darken was enjoying himself, and Cara found her hand reaching for her agiel. If he wouldn't come voluntarily, then she would prod him into the forest.

Yet, although she could force him to accompany her, Cara couldn't force him to be useful. She had a sudden vision of Darken, behind Richard's back, gleefully picking up every single kitten that **had**decided to stay on the ground and deliberately putting it back up in a tree, stopping occasionally to toss a stray cat in Richard's direction and smiling as he watched it claw and bite his brother.

She might as well admit it. When it came to the kitten patrol, Darken was a lost cause.

To Cara's relief, Kahlan was bestirring herself, pulling her tattered dress back over her shoulders as she struggled to sit up.  
>"Maybe she's right, sweetheart, "Kahlan turned her alluring blue eyes on Darken. "There are an awful lot of cats wandering around. I think we should help."<p>

Her lover was, surprisingly, proving to be a hard nut to crack on the kitten issue, and refused to be swayed.

"It's Richard's problem. Let Richard deal with it." Darken glowered at Kahlan's back as she rose to her feet and approached Cara. "I can't believe you're choosing that fool over me after everything I've offered you – a palace wedding, a red wedding dress, a wedding ring with a pink sapphire as big as a – "

Kahlan stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face him, eyes bright with excitement. "A ring! Darling, you didn't need to do that. I'd love you if you were the poorest man in D'Hara or the Midlands. But – can I see it? Where is it?"

Cara almost screamed with vexation.

Dear Spirits, would the insanity never stop!

Darken didn't have a farthing to his name, much less a sapphire ring, and when had Kahlan started caring about baubles anyway?

"I don't have the ring with me right now. It's in one of the Mord'Sith temples," Darken explained, happy to have Kahlan's interest again. "There are a **few**Mord'Sith who remained loyal to me." He glared over in Cara's direction before returning his attention to the Mother Confessor.

Kahlan would have run back to Darken's side then and there if Cara hadn't latched onto her arm, almost dragging her toward the woods. "I'll just be a few minutes, darling. After we get these pesky cats taken care of, I'll never leave you again. But I'm still not wearing red at the wedding."

As they entered the canopy of trees the pandemonium of feline angst swept over both women. Just as they spotted Richard, looking more bedraggled than ever, Kahlan stumbled over a marmalade tomcat, almost pitching headlong into a thorn bush again. Cara managed to catch the Confessor before she hit the ground, then proceeded to shove her toward Richard.

They were in the midst of a crisis, and she didn't have time to spare.

"Kahlan's going to help us, Richard. You show her what to do and I'll go back and get Zedd." Cara turned on her heel and headed back for the clearing.

Ignoring Darken completely, she marched over to where Zedd sat hunched over the cooking pot. At Cara's approach, the Wizard turned and grinned at her with anticipation.

"Did you bring more rabbits or maybe a squirrel, Cara? I'm afraid I ate the last of the stew. The rest of you had already left, so I thought it shouldn't go to waste, but now I'm starving again." Noting her empty hands, he frowned, annoyed at being deprived of nourishment. "I'm afraid there isn't any fruit left either," he added, gesturing toward the surrounding foliage which had been stripped bare.

How could one man have devoured a week's worth of food in a few hours?

"No, Wizard, I didn't bring you food. You've already eaten enough for twenty men. Richard and I need your help. There are all of these cats trapped up in the trees and we can't - "

"What happened to you, Cara? Have we been attacked? You look like you've been fighting an army."

A wave of exhaustion swept over her. "Zedd, please – just come with me. We need your help"

"Cara, I'm sorry, but I'm so weak with hunger I can't even stand up. I wish I could help you fight – whatever it is you're fighting, but I can't go on until I regain my strength. "Zedd started to apologize further, but was distracted by two black kittens who had ambled over to them and were sniffing at his empty bowl, drawn by the scent of rabbit.

Zedd regarded the small creatures intently, a speculative gleam in his eyes. Scooping up one of the furballs in his large hand, he reached for his knife with the other. "Cara, you brought food after all. You shouldn't play tricks like that on an old man. If you'll just go to the stream and fetch some more water, we can get another delicious stew going."

The kitten meowed in alarm as Cara yanked it to safety. "Zedd – you can't hurt any of the cats. Richard is rescuing them, and he won't be happy if you start eating them." She cradled the small animal against her breast, and crouched down to retrieve its companion.

She was scrambling for ways to distract Zedd from thoughts of cat stew when Richard's frantic shouts rang through the air.

"Caaaraaa! Help! It's Kahlan. Something's wrong with Kahlan."

**Not again!****  
><strong>  
>"Don't hurt any cats, Zedd." With those parting words, Cara plunged back into the forest, still clinging to her two tiny passengers. Darken was close on her heels.<p>

Both of them barreled through the undergrowth until they almost collided with Richard, bloodier than ever, carrying the Mother Confessor in his arms.

"What did you do to her?" Darken snarled, reaching for the woman he loved. Richard pulled back, and for a moment Cara feared that another fight was going to break out with Kahlan caught in the middle.

"I didn't do anything to her. She's just so upset about the kittens that she started crying and can't seem to stop." Richard's voice was shrill. He seemed at his wit's end.

As was Cara. But she would never show it.

Without another word, Darken snatched Kahlan away from Richard, burying his face in her tangled hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, raising her eyes to his adoringly. "Take me away from here, darling. I can't do this anymore. These awful creatures. They scratch and bite, and they have so much hair and fur, and, and ….Ah – ah – ah - chooo!" The elegant Mother Confessor sneezed into Darken's face.

And kept on sneezing and sneezing, her face growing redder and her eyelids puffier by the minute. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Didn't know….was …-lergic," she croaked, soaking Darken's face and rags with tears and snot. "Never was before…just too many of them." Uncaring of anything but Kahlan's welfare, Darken ran back to the clearing, not sparing a glance at either Cara or Richard.

"Keep an eye on Zedd. Don't let him eat any kittens," the Mord'Sith yelled at Darken's retreating back, knowing it was pointless. Darken would be too wrapped up with taking care of Kahlan to care about Zedd – or the cats.

Feeling Richard's gaze burning into her, Cara turned to face him, noting his stricken expression. He was a mess – one eye was swollen shut, scratches reamed his body, bite marks dotted his hands and arms. His shirt and trousers hung in shreds. His eyes looked wild and a little unfocused.

"I'm supposed to save all of the kittens, Cara. Is Zedd trying to hurt them? You have to go back and stop him."

"Richard, I can't do everything. I can't help you if I'm with Zedd."

The Seeker shook his head, and almost absently plucked another cat off an over-hanging branch, setting it gently on the ground, then trod wearily over to the adjacent oak, summoned by mournful cries. The just-rescued feline scampered back up to its perch where it promptly resumed meowing for help.

Cara leaned against the tree, pressing her forehead into the rough bark, forcing down the treacherous sob that rose in her throat. Every muscle in her body ached with fatigue.

In her years as a Mord'Sith, fighting for Darken Rahl and for the Seeker of Truth, Cara had often faced impossible odds and had always met them without flinching.

But this ever-accelerating descent into madness was something new – this world where everything was turned on its head.

She had caused it to happen.

Instinctively, as in all moments of stress, her hand went to her agiel, where, underneath her holster, she felt the lump formed by the amulet. She had shoved it inside her leathers once the kitten catastrophe had begun.

A kernel of hope began to form.

How could she have been such a fool?

The answer to all of their problems had been at her fingertips the whole time.

Pulling out the stone, Cara balanced it carefully in her hand, then closed her fist around it and shut her eyes, taking a deep breath, centering herself.

_I want everything to be as it was, make us as we were before,_ she thought with fierce intent. _I take it back – all of it.__  
><em>  
>There was no answering jolt of magic.<p>

The amulet felt cold and inert, powerless.

Cara opened her eyes and looked around.

Nothing had changed.

The cats still yowled, Richard still trudged hopelessly from tree to tree.

She was sure that back as camp Darken and Kahlan would be happily cuddling and talking about weddings, while Darken tenderly wiped Kahlan's nose with his rags.

Zedd would be thinking about food.

This green thing in her hand was just a useless rock.

She sensed, rather than heard, the echo of mocking laughter as she continued to study the object.

Something had drawn Cara to notice it, to pick it up from the riverbed. The engraved runes must have some meaning. She could only hope that Zedd would know their significance.

Now that the amulet's magic seemed to have disappeared, so had her reluctance to reveal its existence.

"Richard," she called back over her shoulder," I have to check up on Zedd. I'll be back as soon as I can." The Seeker was so engrossed in his mission she doubted if he even heard her.

Racing back to camp, Cara clutched the stone against her chest. If Zedd didn't have the answer, then nobody would.

She only hoped she got to him before he ate one of the cats.

Richard would never forgive her if one of them met its doom.


End file.
